Why You Should Start Using Japanese Milk Bread On Your Egg Salad Sandwich

What's not to love about a Japanese egg salad sandwich? Creamy, yolky eggs meet fluffy and slightly sweet bread in this Japanese snack staple. It's a simple egg sandwich, yet somehow it sets itself apart from others across the globe. It's called tamago sando in the Japanese language, which literally means egg sandwich, and many believe that Japan makes this sandwich better than anywhere else. For example, the Japanese 7-Eleven egg sandwich has gained quite a bit of fame online. A few factors, like milk bread, can explain why. 

To be made correctly, a tamago sando requires Japanese ingredients. Creamy Kewpie mayo and high-quality eggs give the egg salad an unfair advantage, but this Japanese sando wouldn't be the same without shokupan. Shokupan is a type of sandwich bread that originates from Japan, although you may be able to find it at a bakery near you thanks to its rising popularity. Shokupan is more commonly referred to as milk bread. It may look like any other white loaf, but its subtle flavor and pillowy texture are off-the-charts delicious, and taste even better with some egg salad. If you're lucky enough to have access to a Japanese bakery with shokupan, go ahead and try it — you might never turn back.

Shokupan is found everywhere in Japan. People eat it as toast for breakfast and use it for all types of sandwiches, not just egg salad. As its name implies, shokupan, aka milk bread, contains milk. Milk bread's high fat content makes it a richer alternative to other sandwich breads. A standard milk bread calls for milk and butter, but some recipes use other fats like cream cheese and condensed milk. Another defining quality of this bread is its subtle sweetness, which is accomplished by adding white sugar as well as honey for added depth. 

The key to milk bread's cloud-like texture is a baking technique called tangzhong, or yudane, in which a roux made of flour and milk or water is made before other ingredients and more flour are added in. This roux helps the flour absorb water throughout the baking process, resulting in a fluffier, more moist bread. 

When paired together, milk bread and egg salad make the ultimate fluffy-on-fluffy sandwich. The two textures seamlessly blend for the perfect soft bite. And, although your egg salad won't discriminate, crustless slices are the way to go for a proper Japanese-style egg salad sandwich.